Grip claw hammer



Dec. 13, 1949 M. NIEUWSMA GRIP CLAW HAMMER Filed July 25, 1948 WEWWM -WPatented Dec. 13, 1949 iJNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRIP CLAW HAMMERMenne Nieuwsma, Herreid, S. Dak.

Application July 23, 1948, Serial No. 40,339

3 Claims.

,for increasing the effectiveness and range of the use thereof.

The main object of my invention is to provide a claw hammer with meansfor increasing the capacity thereof for removing long nails, and providean improved grip thereon.

Another object is to provide a claw hammer with an auxiliary memberwhich serves to engage simultaneously with a nail when also engaged bythe claw equipment of the hammer, for obtaining a sure grip upon thenail.

A further object is to have such a hammer provided with an integral ringor yoke member spaced within the claws of the hammer for bending andbiasing a nail into efiective gripping relation with said jaws.

An object of the invention is also to have a claw hammer soself-contained and equipped that it is capable of drawing even long andtough nails in two stages, first, to start the nail, and then to draw itcompletely out.

It is likewise an object to produce a special claw hammer, as alreadyoutlined, which is practical, durable and uniformly effective to drawnails of substantially any size or length without using blocks beneaththe claws, and which is also capable in every way of normal use as anordinary claw hammer.

Other objects and the advantages of my invention will appear in furtherdetail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for aproper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention isillustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a claw hammer made according to theinvention and embodyingthe same in a practical form, the hammer being inproper position for drawing a long nail While a portion of the handleonly is shown in order to reduce the view to reasonable proportions;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the hammer head of the hammer also shown inFigure 1, as seen from the inner or handle end in order to display therelations between the parts thereof;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 in Figure 2.

The same reference numerals are used to indicate the same partsthroughout these views.

To carpenters, workmen and others who have occasion to use claw hammers,it is a familiar experience to find that the hammer is only capable 2'of starting the withdrawal of a nail, so that a block of wood must beplaced under the hammer to pull the nail the rest of the way out. Thissituation is usually accepted as necessary, inasmuch as no means hasbeen adopted generally to avoid such expedients. However, afterconsidering this problem, it has occurred to me that a claw hammershould be permanently equipped with means thereon for facilitating theuse of the hammer not only for starting the withdrawal of a nail, butalso for pulling it completely out, and as a result I have succeeded inevolving a special claw hammer with self-containedmeans for starting andalso fully withdrawing any nail which the claws thereof are capable ofengaging, as will now be set forth in detail.

Hence, in the practice'of my invention, and referring again to thedrawing, the handle 4, which is only partly shown, projects in more orless conventional manner into a hammer head socket 5 of a hammer headgenerally indicated at 6, and having a conventional hammer anvil 1,while upon the opposite side or end of the hammer head are a pair ofmore or less conventional claws 8, 8, as best seen in Figure 2, with awedge-shaped opening 9 therebetween. The claws 8, 8 are externallycurved into conventional arcuate form andare therefore capable ofengaging beneath the head of a nail, as indicated in broken lines at IDin Figure 1.

Upon the hammer head intermediate the outer end ll, carrying the hammeranvil 1, and the claws 8, 8, and the inner end l2 of the socket 5, isintegrally mounted a yoke or ring member generally indicated at 13,consisting of a pair of side arms [4, M which are arched rearwardly ofthe claws 8, 8 and at their outer ends united by means of an integralcross-piece l5 which is located a shorter distance from the socket 5than the outer tips or ends of the claws 8, 8.

The arrangement is such that, viewing Figure 1 for example, the hammeris placed with the head 6 thereof in such position that the claws 8, 8will straddle the nail II] by the latter projecting up through thewedge-shaped slot 9 between them and the handles 4 thrown to the rightso that the head 10 of the nail to be drawn is started and pulled adistance out from the wood or other material 16. Assuming that the nailhas been pulled sufl'lciently far out to bring the head thereof abovethe point at which the claws 8, 8 are further efiective, the head isremoved momentarily and the yoke or ring portion 13 disposed about theshank I! of the nail shown in full lines, and

the claws again being brought to bear by means of handle 4, the nailshank l1 will be engaged by the interior portion it of the cross-memberl5 and thereby wedged between the claws 8, 8 to render positivelyefiective the wedging grip of these claws upon the nail, even to thepoint of bending the nail as indicated at l9, when it will be found thatthe claws will grip the nail shank sufficiently to be effective to pullthe nail the entire distance out of the wood lit. The crosspiece IE isthus "effective to bias the nail into effective contact with the clawsso that it is entirely unnecessary for either the claws or any part ofthe yoke to engage beneath the head IQ of the nail shown in full linesin order to ellfect removal of the nail.

Obviously, the hammer head thus provided with biasing means for forcing31415.11 into effective gripping relation with the claws of the hammermay be made in several sizes and different proportions, and it is alsotrue that the actual form of the claws and 'even or the yoke member 1'3may *be varied to suit conditions.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to and parts and features may' bemodified orused without others within the sco e or the ap ended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, 1

claim:

1. In a grip claw hammer comprising a hammer head having a handle socketadapted "to receive a handle, 'a hammer anvil upon pne portion and apair of rearwardly-directed nail-pull 'i'ng claws upon another portion,the improvement which includes 'a closed yoke or ring member rigidlymounted u on the hammer head and projecting independently rearwardintermediate 'theclaws and the handleend e'ithe handle socket at agenerally-inclined angu1ar1 osi'tion with respect to the latter andincluding u on the outer and a pair of rearwardly-inclined nail-pullingclaws upon another portion, the improvement which includes a closed yokeor ring member rigidly mounted upon the hammer head intermediate thehandle and the end of the handle socket and the claws, said yoke or ringmember including a pair of integral arms projecting freely andindependently rearwardly intermediate the claws and the handle socket ata generally-inclined angular position with respect to the latter. and atransverse cross-piece integrally connecting the outer ends of said armsand disposed intermediate the free ends of the claws and the handle andof said handle socket in effective position to bias a nail into wedgedgripping relation with said claws when said yoke envelops the nail 3. Ina grip claw hammer comprising a hammerhead having a handle socketadapted to receive a handle, a hammer anvil upon one portion and'a'p'a'ir of rearwardly 'directetl arcuate nailpullin claws uponai'i'other portion, the improve ment which includes an 'arcuate closedyoke or ring member integrally mounted upon the hairlmer headinterinediaite the handle end of the handle socket and "the claws andcomprising t. pair of integral curved arms freely directed arcuatelyrearward "intermediate the claws and the handle socket at agenerally-inclined angular position with respect "to "the latter, and atransverse cross-"piece integrally connecting the outer free ends ofsaid curve-d arms and disposed intermediate the free ends of the clawsand the handle end of the handle socket in eifeet'i've "position to biasa nailinto wedged'gripping relation with said claws when said yoke'enveiops "the nail while said cross-piece engages against the latter.

Number Name Date 835,961 Lee u .-wc-=n ==s Nov. .13, 1903 ilisassaHaight eel-i- Nov. 9. 191 5 1 934 680 Bosco a aaacsr-z Nov. 14, A933

